*Update:
The Max Factor building and its museum collection
was sold by Proctor & Gamble in 1996 to a developer, and the Max Factor
Museum was closed. Fortunately, the landmark building re-opened in 2002
as

The lobby and various make-up
rooms from the studio have been preserved at the new museum, as have many
pieces from the original Max Factor exhibit, and three more floors of exhibit
space have been added, featuring thousands of rare Hollywood costumes, props, sets and memorabilia. (Click here to read about the new Hollywood
History Museum.)

I will leave this old
page about the former Max Factor Museum up for your enjoyment. But
keep in mind that the original Max Factor museum described below is no
longer open. The Max Factor rooms are now part of the larger Hollywood
History Museum.

Back
in the 1930's and 40's, during the glory days of Hollywood, the world of
movie make-up was dominated by none other than Max
Factor.

Jean Harlow,
Claudette Colbert, Bette
Davis, and virtually all of the major movie actresses were regular
customers of the Max Factor beauty salon, located near Hollywood
Boulevard.

Max Factor specialized in transforming ordinary
people into dazzling stars. Many of his celebrity clients also appeared
in full-color magazine ads to promote his cosmetics, so the brand name
Max Factor soon became world-renown.

And now, almost sixty years after its grand opening
in 1935, that very same beauty salon has been restored to its original
pristine condition; it's open to the public as a romantic (albeit somewhat
campy) museum of those grand times of Silver Screen glamour - chronicling
Max Factor's role in that history. *

The museum is located on Highland Avenue, just a
few steps south of Hollywood Boulevard. Contrasting dramatically with the
seedy urban sprawl just outside its doors, the interior of the historic
studio is once again a polished Art Deco gem - a white & rose-colored
oasis of crystal chandeliers, pastel hues, antique furniture, and potted
palms. But now it is open to the public, not just to the superstars of
Tinseltown.

You
enter through dark marble archways; the small museum is divided into several
rooms. They feature hundreds of autographed photos of famous stars (who
were also studio clients), Max Factor magazine ads featuring Hollywood's
leading ladies, dresses, wigs, magazine covers, a gleaming Oscar (which
Max received himself in 1929 for his unique make-up), and glass cases displaying
old-fashioned versions of Max Factor powders, perfumes, lipsticks and other
products. Plus, there are a few unique items that border on the bizarre...

A pioneer in the field of movie make-up, Max Factor
invented the first make-up used in a motion picture (a greasepaint in a
tube), and went on to become the inventor of lip gloss, pancake make-up
and false eyelashes.

The original Max Factor studio contained four special
celebrity make-up rooms, each designed to bring out the best in women of
a particular hair color: one room is labeled "For Blondes Only"
(and is decorated in flattering shades of blue); other rooms are solely
for redheads (done in mint green), brunettes (dusty rose
pink), or brownettes (pale peach). These special rooms have been
faultlessly preserved, and are complete with the original make-up chairs,
settees, lights, and flattering, multi-angled mirrors.

Max Factor actually started out as a wig-maker, and
the museum's "Hair Department" contains famous wigs and hairpieces
worn in Hollywood films by both male & female celebrities. Here you'll
find Billy Burke's blond curls from
her role as the Good Witch Glinda in "The Wizard of Oz,"
Lucille Ball's bright red wig, and
even a selection of men's toupees, including those worn by John Wayne,
Frank Sinatra, & George
Burns.

One unique item on display in this room is a wig
worn by German actress Marlene Dietrich,
who insisted that it be dusted with flakes of pure, 20K gold, to make her
hair sparkle. Max Factor was a thrifty sort, though, and when Ms. Dietrich
brought the wig back to be cleaned, he routinely combed the wig to recover
some of the precious gold. On one occasion, he collected $24.32 in gold
dust from her faux tresses!

There
is an entire wall full of colorful Max Factor glamour ads from old magazines,
featuring movie stars such as Judy Garland
and Joan Crawford. There are also dozens
of autographed photos from just about every famous name in Hollywood. Another
room duplicates Max Factor's private office, complete with his original
desk, and photos of him as a teenager in his native Poland.

"The Scroll of Fame" has a prominent
place here. It was signed by those attending the grand opening of the Max
Factor Studio back in 1935, and it contains the autographs of hundreds
of movie stars, making it one of the largest single collections of celebrity
autographs anywhere. You can also see the original contracts signed by
major Hollywood actresses - just about everyone who was anyone at the time:
Betty Grable, Rita
Hayworth, Clara Bow, Bette
Davis, Ginger Rogers, Judy
Garland, ad infinitum.

Despite the museum's small size, there is even a
little theatre room, where up to eight people can sit and watch two short,
entertaining videos about the history of Max Factor. The song "Hooray
for Hollywood" echoes through the hallways. (Incidentally, that
song's original lyrics contained the line: "Want to be an actor?
Call Mr. Factor!")

Oh
yes, I mentioned bizarre items... There are two strange Max Factor
inventions on display at the museum: "The Beauty Calibrator "
is a weird gizmo from 1932 for measuring the face; it looks more like some
medieval torture device. "The Kissing Machine," from 1939, presses
two sets of rubber lips together, under ten pounds of pressure, in order
to test the indelibility of lipstick.

This is an unusual little museum, and probably not
be to everyone's taste. But it is also one of the few remaining bright
spots along the otherwise dreary Hollywood Boulevard, and bear in mind
that it is absolutely free, so you have nothing to lose by stopping
in for a visit.

Parking:
There is a parking lot (surrounded by a chain-link fence) on the south
side of the museum.

Admission Price:
Free. (*The old Museum is now
closed. Click here for details
about new Hollywood History Museum )

Hours:
Mon-Sat: 10 AM - 4 PM. (*The
old Museum is now closed. Click
here for details about new Hollywood History Museum )

Getting
there: The Max Factor museum is located
on the east side of Highland Avenue, just one half-block south of Hollywood
Boulevard (between Hawthorn Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard). It's within
easy walking distance of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and just around the
corner from the Ripley's Museum. / From
Hollywood and Vine, go west on Hollywood Boulevard (about 3/4 of a
mile) to Highland Avenue. Turn left (south) on Highland, and the museum
will be on your left (east) side.

This webpage is not associated
with any business described in the article above, and does not constitute
an
endorsement of this or any other business. The photos of celebrities on
this page also do not constitute
endorsements by them of any kind, and are used by the author solely to
illustrate this online article.(Click
here to read other disclaimers)